Genesis is the bi-monthly newsletter of Strategenis a change facilitation consultancy. The newsletter is intended to provide a forum for exploration of complexity, leadership, and group dynamics within human systems. It will provide a means to making sense of the emerging understanding about complexity and the practical challenges faced by leaders, teams and communities as they attempt to sustain the capacity to succeed in a dynamic environment.

The name genesis was chosen to the reflect the sense of beginning and emergence from initial conditions. Just as Lorenz explored how the flap of a butterfly wing in Brazil could lead to a tornado in Texas, our goal is that Genesis will start some great conversations.

Group Conversations: Emerging patterns By Paul Mackey ©Strategenis

When the stakes are high , staying on track during a two person face to face conversation is a challenge. How can we ever expect to understand what happens in a group conversation -especially when groups are dealing with a crucial issue?

Conversation has become a hot topic for practitioners who deal with organizational and personal development. While interpersonal communication skills have been the basic staple of job interviews and competency profiles for years, the focus has been on one to one exchanges. Perhaps the underlying assumption is that if you are competent at one on one communication skills you can transfer this to group conversations. On the other extreme, it is easy to find literature about making presentations to groups, for selling to groups and even facilitating group process. The emphasis here has been essentially “one to group” competencies rather than “one within group” competency. Today, with the recognition that knowledge transfer, capacity building, social networking, collaboration, and community building depend upon and are stimulated through conversation, it is worth looking at the conditions which make conversation in groups more effective.

Based on organizational development research into group dynamics , professional group process facilitators have developed approaches which lead to more effective conversation in groups. These approaches include practices designed to establish an environment for the group in which participants feel safe to express their ideas and concerns, to delve more deeply into issues, to question their beliefs, and to explore other viewpoints. Facilitators are skilled at providing the setting and the process for a group discussion. Typically, a facilitator will make sure that the physical setting is conducive to effective discussion which helps the group to achieve its goal. They will assure appropriate refreshments, assure that extraneous noise -ie from adjacent rooms is minimized, that the layout of seating is supportive of the process, that walls or flip charts are available to record discussion. They help the group to discuss and to agree upon ground rules and limits for their discussion . Facilitators also provide a process road map for the discussion and help the group to trust the process. All of this is to help provide a safe and productive “space”. Yet, the most remarkable discussions still depend on the conversation competencies of the participants.

Sometimes, process hinders a deep inquiry and sets bounds which inhibit exploration and inquiry. For example, when an idea or question falls outside of the process in progress, a facilitator may suggest that the item be placed in a “parking lot” to be dealt with later. Given their prior commitment to process, the group will too often go along with this suggestion, even though they truly want to pursue the idea which has emerged.. An experienced facilitator is adept at balancing the group's need for structure and safety with the needs of the group to risk exploring some areas of the participant knowledge pool at a depth which challenges their swimming ability. In spite of all of this assistance, like swimmers, group members with more competency in group conversation , particularly in crucial conversations have more confidence to go deep. The challenge, is to develop the competency to do this for the entire group. Teams which have developed these skills together, excel at solving difficult problems, finding more innovative solutions and dealing with issues when they are mole hills rather than letting them become mountains.

The good news is that new approaches to group conversation are yielding remarkable results. Techniques such as “Appreciative Inquiry” have proven very successful in setting a positive environment for conversation which focuses the conversation on inquiry, and a search for understanding when compared to facilitated approaches which focus on defining problems and developing solutions. Open space technology techniques, pioneered by Owen Harrison, remove many of the constraints for participants, allowing them to pursue the aspects of the issue which are most important and of interest to them. Dialogue techniques developed from early work by David Bohm and expanded upon by William Isaacs , have provided practices which participants in conversation can use to focus, to explore, and to share knowledge in ways which delve deeply into issues. but leave the group rather than a facilitator more control of the pathways which the conversation will take. Circle conversations approaches, refined by Christina Baldwin at Peerspirit , are helping to build group conversation competencies. Conceptual models such as Glenda Eoyang's CDE model drawn from complexity science are providing practitioners with new understanding and techniques for recognizing and adapting to emerging patterns in groups. As well the research done by Susan Segal and David Horne on Human Dynamics helps groups to recognize the differences in thinking and behaviour styles of people in groups, in a way which develops in the participant the capacity to recognize the thinking patterns and needs of others in the group.

Each of these new techniques changes the role of the facilitator.

Open Space Technology: With open space technology, the facilitator helps to create the space and container for conversation while the participants become much more self organizing.

Dialogue: Isaacs makes a distinction between discussion and dialogue: “discussion is about making a decision, unlike dialogue, which seeks to open possibilities and see new options, discussion seeks closure and completion. Dialogue is about exploring the nature of choice... about invoking insight.” With “Dialogue” the leader's role changes to one of “convener” who helps the group create and hold a “container” for conversation.

Eoyang's CDE Model: Whereas a many facilitators are skilled at helping a group to achieve concensus, Eoyang's CDE model recognizes differences as a source of energy which the group can use to drive transforming exchanges this demands a new awareness from facilitators of how to work with differences to find solutions.

Appreciative Inquiry: Cooperrider's research on Appreciative Inquiry demonstrates the value of positive questioning and transforms the approach that a facilitator uses from a focus in problem/solution towards an inquiry to discover and explore what already works well.

Circle Conversations: The conversation leader acts as a host for the conversation but doesn't direct it. Although the new techniques require new competencies from facilitators each provides the opportunity for development of new conversation competencies for groups.

Human Dynamics: Segal and Horne's research on different problem solving and thinking styles, can help the facilitator to adjust the timing and the processes used in a group to create conditions in which diverse particpants can best contribute.

Through each of these techniques, groups learn to listen, reflect, suspend assumptions, and to create an energetic space for themselves which in turn enhances their performance. Key to these emerging patterns for conversation is that the groups themselves gain competency to self organize their conversations. Skilled facilitators can provide a useful role in the beginning by teaching, guiding and coaching groups in conversational techniques, with the goal of creating fully self reliant groups. Some groups find it is useful to have a conversation skills tune-up from time to time, to help provide feedback and tips for improvement.

To learn more about new approaches to group effectiveness through conversation, why not contact Strategenis or explore some of the following useful resources.

Resources:

Isaacs. William, Dialogue and the art of thinking together: a pioneering approach to communicating in business and life, Random House, Inc. New York, New York 10036 ,1999

Links to Dialogue Resources: http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/links/webdial.php

Open Space Technology Resources: http://www.mywiseowl.com/articles/Open_Space_Technology

Olsen, Edwin E., Eoyang, Glenda H., Facilitating Organization Change, Lessons from Complexity Science Jossey-Bass/Pfeifer, San Francisco, 2001

Resources on Appreciative Inquiry http://www.airmarket.net/readinglist.htm

Baldwin, Christina ; Conversation Circle Resources, http://www.peerspirit.com